The 17-year curse on allowing openly gay soldiers to serve in the military may have a shot at being overturned. Recent sources have confirmed that a debate to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy is expected to re-ignite amongst members on Capitol Hill. With the results of a 10 month study powering Democrats for this political duel, they now have proven that a clear majority of respondents don’t care if openly gays serve with them, and about 70% of them predict that lifting the ban would have no hindrance in the operation of the armed forces. This is a great step towards making “Change” in the nation, but with every good side comes the bad.

Of course, Republicans are blowing the whistle and calling for a political “time-out”, with Sen. John McCain leading the pack of referees. McCain, along with his colleagues, oppose the repeal of the law, calling it “politically driven and dangerous at a time of two wars (two wars which in fact were NOT so much “repealed” when George W. was in office, despite a hefty billion-dollar price tag). Furthermore, the Republicans chime in to McCain’s claims, much to the tune of “the military is at its best right now….saying that ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ is an issue for it is purely insane!” Right?

Wrong. And Democrats have the data to prove it. Last summer, Dems went to work, tracking down over 150,000 surveyors’ worth of soldiers and their spouses, and an outside population of 500,000+ citizens in a study group targeted towards gays in the military. The results were astounding, proving that over 50% of Americans favor this change, while only 27% opposed.

Verdict: Americans want to see the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy pulled and shot down!

Many Democratic leaders, including Majority Leader Harry Reid are optimistic in their commitment to do away with the repeal. Despite this potentially monumental change, some gay rights groups still complain that Congress has not done enough for them. I say to them, “One issue at a time…no group is more special than the next!”